Nick Owen's Darwin county date

TV presenter Nick Owen returned to Shrewsbury today to help launch a mass-read of a literary classic as part of celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.

The BBC Midlands Today frontman and former Shrewsbury School pupil joined staff at the town's library to celebrate the life of Darwin and the work of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as part of the Lost World Read.

The project involves a mass-read of Doyle's classic adventure story The Lost World which is being handed out free at libraries and other venues around the town.

Organisers say the aim of the project is to bring communities together. The event was held in the Music Library which was once the schoolroom of Shrewsbury School, attended by Darwin from 1818 to 1825. The launch included readings from the novel, which has an evolutionary theme, and the unveiling of a special Lost World poem written by poetry champion, Sally Richards.

Speaking at the event Mr Owen said: "It's quite sad about the way the use of the English language has been abused with standards for punctuation and grammar being dreadful these days.

"The only way to improve those standards is through reading."

The TV presenter added: "I'm also fascinated by Charles Darwin because we went to the same school and I've visited the room where he was born."